Abstract
There is an increasing tendency for traditional medicine in the world. Many people prefer to take herbal products instead of chemical medicines. However, over consumption of herbal medicines has led to many unpredictable side effects.One of these traditional medicines is Citrullus colocynthis, which is used by diabetic patients as an hypoglycemic agent, but it has been reported to cause gastrointestinal disorders after consumption in some patients.50 rats were randomly divided into five groups (4 experimental and 1 controls). In the experimental groups a single daily dose of alcoholic extract of Citrullus colocynthis (50, 100, 200, 400 g/kg) was administered intraperitonally. Normal saline was administered in control group. After two weeks, the rats were killed and the livers were removed and fixed with formalin (10%). Specimens were then processed and stained with H&E and Reticuline.The results indicated that there is a morphological change in liver cells including karyrrhexis, chromatolysis, and granulation of the cytoplasm. Additionally, collagen and reticular fibers were evident in liver parenchyma in high doses. Citrullus colocynthis can have toxic effects on liver cells which may induce hepatocyte necrosis and liver fibrosis. These effects were dose dependent. Further studies are necessary to clarify the issue.
Highlights
Citrullus colocynthis (CCT) is traditionally used as an antidiabetic medication in tropical and subtropical countries (Diwan FH, 2000).This plant can induce insulinotropic (Nmila R, 2000) and mild immunostimulating effects (Bendeddou D, 2003).There is some evidence that it may induce side effects.The comparative toxicity of the alcoholic extract of CCT has been studied in seven insect species in which the adult honey bee was more affected
Intraperitoneal administration of Citrullus colocyn-this seeds to rats in the experimental groups caused some histopathological changes in their livers
The results showed some histological changes in the nucleus and cytoplasm of hepatocytes
Summary
Citrullus colocynthis (CCT) is traditionally used as an antidiabetic medication in tropical and subtropical countries (Diwan FH, 2000).This plant can induce insulinotropic (Nmila R, 2000) and mild immunostimulating effects (Bendeddou D, 2003).There is some evidence that it may induce side effects.The comparative toxicity of the alcoholic extract of CCT has been studied in seven insect species in which the adult honey bee was more affected (el-Naggar ME, 1989). The other side-effects of this plant are toxic acute colitis (Golfain D, 1989), reversible infertility (Chaturvedi M, 2003) and hepatotoxicity in rats (Barth A, 2002). These damages were sometimes enhanced with higher doses of CCT. As the liver is a sensitive organ and many substances including toxins accumulate in this organ and induce liver toxicity, the aim of this project was to study the histopathological changes in the liver after ingestion of CCT in male rats.text
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